President Uhuru Kenyatta has stepped in to quell nascent rebellion within his Jubilee Party, ordering members of four National Assembly committees to remove the chairmen they elected against his wishes.

The MPs are Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), who heads the Labour committee, Silas Tiren (Moiben), the chairman of Agriculture, Kangogo Bowen (Marakwet East), Environment and Natural Resources, and James Gakuya (Embakasi North), Broadcasting and Library.
The decision was reached at a meeting of the MPs in the four committees with President Kenyatta at State House Nairobi.

The four have been at loggerheads with Jubilee Party chiefs in Parliament since going against the President’s preferences and working their way to the leadership of the committees.

On Thursday, however, Mr Keter and Mr Tiren remained defiant, insisting they were legally elected as chairmen and vowing to stay put, complicating matters for Jubilee.

Mr Keter, who has taken on the mantle of chief rebel and who takes pride in the fact that he was re-elected despite opposing Jubilee during its first term, described his colleagues as “puppets of the Executive who are destroying the independence of the Legislature.’’

“They want people they can control but I will not allow them to get away with it,” the MP said.

“Cartels that have been looting institutions like the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) are against my election as chairman. I want to tell them that I’m going nowhere and will play my role effectively,” he said.

Mr Tiren, who was reported to be in Mombasa attending a retreat of another committee, said he was ready to fight his detractors.

“As it is, I am planning to attend a retreat next week in Mombasa as the chair of the committee as stipulated in the Standing Orders and having been clarified by the Clerk of the Assembly,” he said in a statement.

He described himself as a quiet person who does not court trouble “but at the same time, I hate being taken for granted.”

“If you rattle me the wrong way, then I will come out fighting. I am not a pushover and I will remain chairman of the committee, as elected by MPs,” he said.

He declared that he is well informed about Agriculture and is best placed to deliver on his mandate and help achieve Jubilee’s agenda, which includes improving food security.

“I respect His Excellency William Samoei Ruto the Deputy President and our Deputy Party Leader and I shall accord him all the support, but also I was elected by the people of Moiben to represent them in Parliament and I wonder what I will tell them if I step down from this position which actually touches on their lives directly because they are farmers,” he said.

Jubilee agreed on how to share the seats at a meeting between the MPs and President Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi, in December. The party agreed that the positions should be shared equitably among counties with each getting a chairperson and vice-chair. But since the committees are not as many as the devolved units, neighbouring counties were to agree on the leadership.

Some of the MPs who attended the State House meeting yesterday said they were asked to sign petitions to the Clerk of the National Assembly expressing lack of confidence in the committees’ leadership.

“We have committed ourselves that we do not have confidence in the committees’ leadership and that fresh elections should be held,” a member of the Agriculture committee, who did not want to go on record to avoid a backlash, said.

Nominated MP David Sankok said the election of the four, especially Mr Keter and Mr Tiren, went against the party’s wishes.

“There is no way we can have two chairmen of committees from Nandi. We want regional balance. Coast does not have a chairperson,” said Mr Sankok, a member of the Labour and Social Welfare Committee.

He said the most likely route for the removal of Mr Keter and the others would be impeachment which, in Parliament, is done through a vote of no-confidence.

Mr Keter and Mr Tiren are reported to have rejected overtures by the Deputy President last week to step down. Mr Ruto is reported to have told the MPs at Weston Hotel in Nairobi that it was wrong to have the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture coming from the same region.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/president-kenyatta-fights-quell-rebellion-jubilee/feed/028436Ex-Nigerian President Obasanjo arrives for Uhuru-Raila ‘dialogue’http://tupo.co.ke/28427-2/
http://tupo.co.ke/28427-2/#respondFri, 19 Jan 2018 04:31:25 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28427Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo arrived in the country on Wednesday night to broker a deal between President Uhuru Kenyatta and NASA leader Raila Odinga. Yesterday Obasanjo met Raila and other NASA principals and attempted to persuade them to drop the presidential swearing-in ceremony planned for January 30. Obasanjo and Raila have been close friends […]

]]>Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo arrived in the country on Wednesday night to broker a deal between President Uhuru Kenyatta and NASA leader Raila Odinga.

Yesterday Obasanjo met Raila and other NASA principals and attempted to persuade them to drop the presidential swearing-in ceremony planned for January 30. Obasanjo and Raila have been close friends for two decades.

It was not immediately clear whether Obasanjo would meet President Kenyatta and if so when.

Raila and Kalonzo have insisted they will take the oaths as People’s President and Deputy, respectively, unless Jubilee accepts meaningful dialogue on electoral justice.

Jubilee has largely remained silent, though Kenyatta has said that he would only discuss development and Raila should wait five years and talk to DP William Ruto, his presumed successor.

Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya Sheidu Momoh confirmed that Obasanjo was in the country “but not on a bilateral mission”.

“Yes, I’m aware that our former President is in the country. What I can tell you is that he is not on bilateral duty,” Momoh told the Star.

Foreign Affairs PS Monica Juma said she did not know Obasanjo was in Kenya. “I’m not aware,” she told the Star on the phone.

Sources within the presidency said they were aware of Obasanjo’s engagements but would not confirm or deny that President Kenyatta has met him or was planning to do so.

It is understood that Obasanjo’s visit is the result of behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts resolve the standoff. “American Ambassador Robert Godec has been involved in this initiative together with other diplomats. Once they realised that NASA was not interested in abandoning its swearing-in plans, they decided to find a well-respected African leader who could speak to both sides,” a diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

In his autobiography titled My Watch, Obasanjo revealed that he attended the burial of Raila’s father, the opposition icon Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in 1994. “I was invited by Raila for the final funeral rites for his father, Jaramogi Oginga, and for the dedication of his mausoleum in Kenya,” Obasanjo wrote in the chapter titled My Arrest: The Abacha Saga.

That visit caused him trouble with the Nigerian government led by President Sani Abacha who ordered for his arrest,

Since Odinga was a fierce critic of the Daniel Moi regime, Abacha claimed Obasanjo had come to Kenya to create problems for the Kenyan government by supporting the opposition, and the Nigerian government had to “restrain him from causing great problems between Nigeria and Kenya.”

For years there has been speculation that Obasanjo, Tanzanian President John Magufuli and South African Vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa are among Raila’s major campaign financiers.

Unconfirmed reports yesterday indicated that all three had been approached to intervene with Raila in the recent past without success.

“We are not going to accept any palliatives. This has been going on since 2007. We need a lasting solution to electoral theft,” a Raila strategic told the Star.

Obasanjo was the chief guest in 2013 when Raila launched his autobiography The Flame of Freedom.

At the function, the two-term Nigerian President described Raila as the rare politician who was also a “responsible family man”.

In March last year, Raila and ex-Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa travelled to Nigeria to for the attend the grand opening of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. In fact, at one point, Raila’s daughter Rosemary Odinga confessed that she learnt about snail farming on Obasanjo’s farm in Nigeria.

Obasanjo was a career soldier before serving twice as head of state — as a military ruler from February 13, 1976, to October 1, 1979 — and as a democratically elected president from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007.

He made history as the first military ruler to hand over power to a civilian.

That civilian, Goodwill Jonathan, lost the presidency after one term to another former military man, Gen Muhammad Buhari, three years ago in a democratic election.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/28427-2/feed/028427Nasa leaders meet in Machakos in crunch talks over Raila swearing-in planhttp://tupo.co.ke/nasa-leaders-meet-machakos-crunch-talks-raila-swearing-plan/
http://tupo.co.ke/nasa-leaders-meet-machakos-crunch-talks-raila-swearing-plan/#respondFri, 19 Jan 2018 04:22:12 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28424The opposition coalition meets on Friday in Machakos in a final attempt to rally Mr Raila Odinga’s co-principals behind his planned swearing-in as the people’s president, scheduled for January 30. Even as a technical organ of the opposition National Super Alliance sought to dispel reports of divisions over the oath plan, sources within the coalition […]

The opposition coalition meets on Friday in Machakos in a final attempt to rally Mr Raila Odinga’s co-principals behind his planned swearing-in as the people’s president, scheduled for January 30.

Even as a technical organ of the opposition National Super Alliance sought to dispel reports of divisions over the oath plan, sources within the coalition revealed that talks between the four principals on Monday and Tuesday, aimed at reaching a common ground on the matter, had ended without a deal.

The issue will be discussed afresh during Friday’s meeting at Maanzoni Lodge. Thereafter, the team will proceed to Machakos, where it will launch the county’s people’s assembly.

It is understood that financiers and a few hardliners in Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement are behind the push for the former Prime Minister to take a presidential oath despite the risk of the ramifications both locally and internationally.

Among the thorny issues facing Nasa are the venue of the swearing-in ceremony, the likelihood of violent confrontations with police, the charges Mr Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka could face, and possible reactions by the international community. Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford-Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula are the other co-principals.

The Nasa leadership, it is understood, does not want Mr Odinga to take an oath in a private residence like Uganda opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) did in May 2016, since such action would be taken as an exercise in futility by the Jubilee Party.

The meeting at Maanzoni, therefore, will be used to address these sticky issues and seek ways out of the tight corner the opposition has found itself in.

On Thursday, the People’s Assembly Organising Committee said arrangements for Mr Odinga’s swearing-in ceremony are complete.

The committee chairman, Dr David Ndii, described the ceremony as a reclamation of the Nasa presidential election victory of August 8, 2017, which he claimed the Supreme Court validated by annulling Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory.

“We advise our people to reject and ignore the plain lies and half-truths being peddled by sections of the media and the political class that the swearing-in of Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka is a bargaining chip for dialogue,” Dr Ndii said during a press conference at Okoa Kenya offices in Nairobi.

The committee made the clarification as the government stood its ground on the legality of the planned oathing, warning Mr Odinga that he could face treason charges.

Government Spokesman Eric Kiraithe, while responding to an interview in which Mr Odinga indicated that he could run a parallel government from exile, said the position of the government on the matter had not changed.

“Acts against the Kenyan law within or outside Kenya will be treated accordingly,” said Mr Kiraithe.

In an interview with Voice of America on Tuesday, Mr Odinga vowed to form a rival government after he is sworn in, even if it is based outside the country. He said his oath of office will be based on the results of the August 8, 2017 election, which he claims he won.

“This is not a joke,” said Mr Odinga during the interview. “An illegitimate government is in office, and the one that the people actually wanted to be there is outside. On January 30, we will end this. We will be sworn in (on the basis of) the August 8 results, which show we won.”

During their last public engagement in Kakamega on January 7, Nasa leaders said the drastic step could be averted if President Kenyatta acceded to calls for national dialogue, which they said must address electoral and police reforms, judicial independence, devolution, and restructuring the executive.

This week, the four principals have held at least two different meetings to try to diffuse claims that the other three principals are slowly crawling away from Mr Odinga over the oath plan to avoid what they believe will be a messy confrontation with the State. The two meetings have not yielded any tangible fruit.

DISAGREEMENT

However, Dr Ndii dismissed claims of disagreement over the oath, saying it was part of the disinformation of the political opponents. He maintained the event will go on, but insisted they are open to dialogue.

“It (dialogue) is the only way out of the current political crisis,” he said. “The country must embark on an urgent, honest and far-reaching conversation without which Kenya will not stand for long.”

Dr Ndii observed that the nation is deeply divided between two irreconcilable political values — authoritarian rule and democracy — adding that time has come for Kenyans to talk about why the nation has this divide and how it can be bridged.

But, he clarified, Nasa “is not holding its breath for dialogue with Jubilee Party, much as we believe the country needs it”.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/nasa-leaders-meet-machakos-crunch-talks-raila-swearing-plan/feed/028424Experts to testify in gay casehttp://tupo.co.ke/experts-testify-gay-case/
http://tupo.co.ke/experts-testify-gay-case/#respondFri, 19 Jan 2018 04:15:02 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28421A group seeking to quash provisions of the law that make it illegal for consensual same sex will call expert witnesses to support its case. Appearing before a three-judge bench on Thursday, Senior Counsel Paul Muite said the group would call a psychiatrist to explain sexual orientation and why the State should not regulate intimate matters. […]

A group seeking to quash provisions of the law that make it illegal for consensual same sex will call expert witnesses to support its case.

Appearing before a three-judge bench on Thursday, Senior Counsel Paul Muite said the group would call a psychiatrist to explain sexual orientation and why the State should not regulate intimate matters.

Mr Muite said the experts would table reports to demonstrate biological and social conditions that lead to a person’s sexual orientation.

Mr Eric Gitari moved to court to decriminalise sections 162 and 165 of the Penal Code. He said the parts were discriminatory and contravened provisions of the Constitution such as right to equality, freedom from discrimination, human dignity, freedom and security of the person and right to privacy.

Section 162 reads: “Any person who has carnal knowledge … against the order of nature; or has carnal knowledge of an animal; or permits a male to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for 14 years.”

Section 165 says a man who commits any act of indecency with another man, or procures a man to commit indecency with him, or attempts to procure the commission of any such act with himself or with another male may be jailed for five years.

Mr Gitari said the petition had nothing to do with same sex marriage, did not seek its legislation and would not, if successful, have effect of mandating or requiring Kenya to recognise such a union.

Justices Roselyn Aburili, Chacha Mwita and John Mativo consolidated the case with a similar one filed by Mr John Mathenge and four others.

The Kenya Christian Professional Forum, through its lawyer Charles Kanjama, said it would also be calling two witnesses to give a divergent opinion. The forum said the penal code was within the confines of the law.

“The petition only concerns criminalisation and punishment of a section of society on account of the fundamental characteristic of sexual orientation,” Mr Muite told the judges.

Mr Gitari, the director of National Gay and Lesbian Rights Commission in Kenya, an NGO which was established in April 2012, argued that criminalising conduct as unnatural and grossly indecent, were degrading.

The lawyer said he had been subjected to stigma and discrimination as a result of the provisions and risked being exposed to prosecution.

“The disputed provisions … criminalise private consensual conduct between adults of the same sex. Furthermore, the provisions, by virtue of their vagueness and uncertainty, breach the principles or legality and the rule of law, infringing on the rights of citizens,” read the petition.

He said the case was concerned with the constitutional legitimacy of the State seeking to regulate the most intimate and private sphere of Kenyans’ conduct, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Sexual intimacy between consenting adults, he argued, was a fundamental part of the experience of humanity.

“It is an essential element of how individuals express love and closeness and how they establish and nurture relationships,” he said.

Few aspects of an individual’s life are more inherently private than the manner in which he or she experiences and expresses sexual intimacy with another person, the petition adds.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/experts-testify-gay-case/feed/028421African U.N. envoys suggest Trump meet leaders in Ethiopia after ‘shithole’ remarkhttp://tupo.co.ke/african-u-n-envoys-suggest-trump-meet-leaders-ethiopia-shithole-remark/
http://tupo.co.ke/african-u-n-envoys-suggest-trump-meet-leaders-ethiopia-shithole-remark/#respondFri, 19 Jan 2018 04:06:07 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28418UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – African U.N. envoys suggested on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump meet with African leaders in Ethiopia this month after he was reported to have described some immigrants from Africa and Haiti as coming from “shithole” countries. African ambassadors met with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who told […]

]]>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – African U.N. envoys suggested on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump meet with African leaders in Ethiopia this month after he was reported to have described some immigrants from Africa and Haiti as coming from “shithole” countries.

African ambassadors met with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who told them she regretted the political drama around what was said a week ago at a White House meeting on immigration, according to diplomats at the U.N. meeting.

The diplomats said that South African U.N. Ambassador Jerry Matjila, who spoke on behalf of the group, told Haley that “it could be useful” for Trump to address African leaders directly when they meet in Addis Ababa at the African Union.

That meeting is due to take place on Jan. 28-29, according to the African Union website.

Haley told the ambassadors she did not know what had been said in last week’s White House meeting and promised to convey the African ambassadors’ message to Trump when she meets with him in Washington on Friday, according to the diplomats.

Trump has denied using such derogatory language.

The U.S. mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the U.N. meeting beyond a tweet it posted, which read: “Thank you to the Africa Group for meeting today. We discussed our long relationship and history of combating HIV, fighting terrorism, and committing to peace throughout the region.”

African U.N. ambassadors issued a statement last Friday that said they were “extremely appalled at, and strongly condemned the outrageous, racist, xenophobic remarks attributed to the president of the United States.”

They demanded Trump retract his remarks and apologize.

According to diplomats at the U.N. meeting on Thursday, Haley also spoke about the billions of dollars that the United States had invested in the fight against HIV/Aids and terrorism in Africa and in humanitarian aid for South Sudan.

Haley traveled to Ethiopia, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo in late October.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/african-u-n-envoys-suggest-trump-meet-leaders-ethiopia-shithole-remark/feed/028418Raila: I will form government in exilehttp://tupo.co.ke/raila-will-form-government-exile/
http://tupo.co.ke/raila-will-form-government-exile/#respondThu, 18 Jan 2018 04:08:57 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28412Opposition leader Raila Odinga has vowed to form a rival government when he is sworn in on January 30 even if it is based outside the country. He spoke as 13 opposition MPs said they will have all the National Super Alliance (NASA) affiliated lawmakers to support the oath by swearing affidavits declaring they will only […]

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has vowed to form a rival government when he is sworn in on January 30 even if it is based outside the country.

He spoke as 13 opposition MPs said they will have all the National Super Alliance (NASA) affiliated lawmakers to support the oath by swearing affidavits declaring they will only recognise Mr Odinga as president.

In an interview with Voice of America, the opposition leader said his oath of office will be based on the results of the August 8, 2017 election, which he claims he won.

He said he will form a cabinet and run a government even if it will be from exile.

“This is no joke. An illegitimate government is in office, and the one that the people actually wanted to be there is outside. On January 30, we will end this. We will be sworn in with the August 8 results that shows we won,” he said.

President Kenyatta has warned that the law will take its course if Mr Odinga acts against the Constitution.

On Wednesday, the AG said he has to listen to the interview before responding. “I will listen to it and come back to you,” he said on the telephone.

In the August 8 election, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared President Kenyatta the winner with 8,203,290 votes (54 per cent) followed by Mr Odinga’s 6,762,224 (43 per cent). Nasa declared the election a sham and went to court to have it nullified.

At that time, the opposition believed that the entire election was tainted by “non-compliance, irregularities and improprieties” and did not ask the Supreme Court to order a manual recount of the votes which would have established if there was an error — or manipulation of computers — in declaring Mr Kenyatta the winner.

Instead, Nasa asked the court to quash Mr Kenyatta’s win and order a fresh election. The Supreme Court found in favour of the opposition and ordered a repeat poll, which Mr Odinga boycotted, citing lack of electoral reforms.

The Nasa leader says his January 30 oath is a protest against what he terms lack of electoral reforms and the failure by Jubilee to initiate dialogue over it. Asked what he will do after the oath, Mr Odinga said he will form a government.

“We can even be a government in exile, one that works from outside. It has happened in other countries. What we are saying is that Kenyans can no longer allow an illegitimate government not elected by the people to rule them. We will work like a government, we will form a Cabinet and we will work as a government,” Mr Odinga said in the Swahili interview recorded at his Capitol Hill office, Nairobi, on Tuesday.

Mr Odinga dismissed as far-fetched claims of differences between him and his co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula.

Nasa insiders say the three principals have called for a stop of the swearing-in ceremony, preferring dialogue to avoid the confrontation that would come with taking the presidential oath when President Kenyatta has already been sworn in. But Mr Odinga said the Nasa team is fully behind him.

“There is no rift in Nasa at all. No problems whatsoever. My brothers are fully behind the course,” he said.

On disagreements over the sharing of parliamentary committee leadership positions in the coalition, Mr Odinga said the differences were normal.

“In a large family like Nasa, these things are bound to occur. There will be cases where one family is demanding a fish and vice-versa. That is normal,” he said.

Yesterday, it emerged that two meetings by the Nasa principals had not yielded fruits over the swearing-in ceremony and that they had scheduled a retreat on Friday at Maanzoni Hotel in Machakos.

At Parliament Buildings on Wednesday, 13 lawmakers led by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala and National Assembly Minority whip Junet Mohammed started a campaign that they said would see all the coalition’s MPs, governors and MCAs sign a legal instrument binding them to a resolution to swear in Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka as “people’s president” and deputy. Nasa has 154 law makers — 127 MPs and 27 senators.

The MPs said they do not recognise Mr Kenyatta as President.

“We are bound by a solemn belief in the sanctity of the vote and respect for the democratic will of the people. And we stand here before you to say enough is enough. Enough with “accept and move on”. Enough with Jubilee’s electoral theft. Enough with the diplomats and their dialogue. Kenyans want nothing short of electoral justice,” said Mr Malala.

“It is in this spirit that we as elected leaders representing the people have resolved to come together to further demonstrate that we do not recognise Uhuru Kenyatta as President,” he said.

However, none of Wiper and Ford-Kenya MPs attended the press conference that came just a day after the coalition’s four principals failed to agree on the modalities of the oath after two days of secret meetings.

The leaders first met on Monday at Karen Country Club and at a private residence in Lavington on Tuesday. In the affidavits, the leaders recognise Mr Odinga as the people’s president, having been elected as the president during the August 8 presidential election. They affirm that the poll, won by Mr Kenyatta, was not free, fair, transparent or verifiable.

The affidavit further trashes the October 26 repeat presidential election as a nullity because it was conducted by an electoral commission that was in contempt of the Supreme Court orders and that it was not conducted in strict compliance of the constitutional provisions and all other applicable laws.

“Had the IEBC complied with the Supreme Court orders and provided access to its servers, the results would have shown that the winner of the first presidential election was Mr Odinga,” the affidavit reads.

However, during yesterday’s press conference both Mr Malala and Mr Mohammed rejected claims of disquiet in the coalition over the oath and the manner in which the committee leadership positions reserved for the opposition parties had been shared out.

“There is no fallout in the coalition and nobody has been forced to sign the affidavit. It is one of our programmes to ensure the swearing-in ceremony takes place,” said Mr Mohammed.

Mr Odinga, on the other hand, told VOA that while foreign diplomats were welcome to help Kenya as friends, the current stalemate could only be addressed by Kenyans themselves.

“This is a fire that is for us Kenyans to put out. We have stated our agenda for dialogue.” he said.

“If they do not, sisi hatubembelezi mtu (We will not plead with anybody). We will do our things, let them do theirs and then we will see where we will meet,” he said and warned the envoys to keep off the push for dialogue, accusing them of siding with Jubilee.

Mr Odinga is particularly upset by US ambassador Robert Godec who recently asked Nasa to drop the “unconstitutional” swearing-in for a structured dialogue.

“They are our friends but they cannot force us. Kenya is not a colony of America. We are a free country. We will do as we want. It is not us Nasa that have breached the Constitution because they have created an illegitimate government,” he said.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/raila-will-form-government-exile/feed/028412Why Raila, Nasa are worried about government response to oath takinghttp://tupo.co.ke/28401-2/
http://tupo.co.ke/28401-2/#respondWed, 17 Jan 2018 04:57:37 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28401The government’s response to the planned swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka and the implication of such action to the international community have been key items of the near secret meeting of the four Nasa leaders. With less than two weeks to the planned date of the event, the […]

The government’s response to the planned swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka and the implication of such action to the international community have been key items of the near secret meeting of the four Nasa leaders.

With less than two weeks to the planned date of the event, the four principals are working round the clock preparing for something that may be the most open act of defiance against a state, or cancel it altogether in favour of national dialogue that the majority of the four leaders favour.

For the last two days, Mr Odinga, Mr Musyoka, Mr Musalia Mudavadi and Mr Moses Wetang’ula have had at least two meetings whose import is to assess the future of the coalition in view of the November 28 swearing in of President Uhuru Kenyatta for his final term of office.

The first meeting was held on Monday at Karen County Club and the second was held yesterday at, what a source told the Daily Nation, was in a private residence of a mutual friend in Lavington area.

Former Machakos senator Johnson Muthama, who is also the co-chair of the coalition coordinating committee confirmed it took place but could not offer details.

“The meeting took place and all the four principals attended,” Mr Muthama said noting that he could not offer details of the agenda or the venue because he was not part of the parley.

Mr Musyoka seems to have made a turn round on his previous public pronouncement that he would be sworn in besides Mr Odinga should the Jubilee State not accede to national dialogue. The same is the case with Mr Mudavadi.

The position of Mr Wetangula on this is not clear, though sources have indicated that he seems to cast his vote in the direction of the other two.

The concern of the leaders is that the State may mercilessly crash their supporters if they convene for the oath taking. In fact, some sources say Mr Mudavadi and Mr

Musyoka have questioned whether the State will willingly allow them to assemble for the ritual.

“The hard question is whether the State will look on meekly as Mr Odinga and company assemble in a public place for the event,” an aide of one of the politician said yesterday.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/28401-2/feed/028401Maasai leaders laud Tobiko nomination to President Kenyatta’s Cabinethttp://tupo.co.ke/maasai-leaders-laud-tobiko-nomination-president-kenyattas-cabinet/
http://tupo.co.ke/maasai-leaders-laud-tobiko-nomination-president-kenyattas-cabinet/#respondTue, 16 Jan 2018 14:33:16 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28396A cross-section of Kajiado leaders have lauded the naming of the immediate former Director of Public Prosecutions, Keriako Tobiko, into President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term Cabinet. Speaking earlier this week at a retreat in Kwale, the leaders led by Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, exuded confidence in Tobiko’s ability to deliver in whichever docket he is […]

]]>A cross-section of Kajiado leaders have lauded the naming of the immediate former Director of Public Prosecutions, Keriako Tobiko, into President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term Cabinet.

Speaking earlier this week at a retreat in Kwale, the leaders led by Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, exuded confidence in Tobiko’s ability to deliver in whichever docket he is assigned by President Kenyatta saying he had demonstrated his capability during his tenure at the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

“Tobiko’s appointment is something we cannot take lightly. Being assigned one out of the twenty two available cabinet slots is something that we do not take lightly as the people of Kajiado,” Lenku, who served in Kenyatta’s first cabinet said.

Lenku served as Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government between May 23, 2013 and December 2, 2014 when President Kenyatta replaced him with the late Joseph Nkaissery, a retired army general at the height of runaway insecurity as a result of surging terror attacks within the country’s borders.

The Kajiado county chief who successfully clinched the Jubilee Party ticket in April 2017 and later won the top county seat in General Election held on August 8 2017 has vowed unwavering support for President Kenyatta’s government, promising to rally the larger Maasai community behind Kenyatta’s administration.

Other leaders who flanked Lenku echoed a similar message while thanking Kenyatta for demonstrating faith in Tobiko.

“No one doubts the credentials of Tobiko. The president has picked the best,” Kajiado South MP, Katoo Ole Metito who once served as an internal affairs minister said.

“He is a man we know is full of knowledge and we have no doubt that he will serve with diligence,” Peris Tobiko, Kajiado East MP said.

Tobiko is among three new cabinet nominees President Kenyatta unveiled on January 5, the others being former Turkana Senator John Munyes and ex-Marsabit governor, Ukur Yattani.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/maasai-leaders-laud-tobiko-nomination-president-kenyattas-cabinet/feed/028396President Kenyatta meets Kenyan-born Australian Senator Gichuhihttp://tupo.co.ke/28387-2/
http://tupo.co.ke/28387-2/#respondTue, 16 Jan 2018 13:00:05 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28387President Uhuru Kenyatta today met Kenyan-born Australian Senator Lucy Gichuhi and urged her to use her position to boost bilateral ties between Kenya and Australia. During the meeting with the Senator who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi, President Kenyatta said he was particularly keen to see a regular exchange programme that […]

]]>President Uhuru Kenyatta today met Kenyan-born Australian Senator Lucy Gichuhi and urged her to use her position to boost bilateral ties between Kenya and Australia.

During the meeting with the Senator who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi, President Kenyatta said he was particularly keen to see a regular exchange programme that would facilitate sharing of ideas between Kenyan and Australian people.

“I am keen to see the young people learn from each other through these exchange programmes,” President Kenyatta said.

The Head of State said the exchange of ideas should also apply at the professional and cultural levels among other areas of mutual benefit.

The President said Kenya could learn a lot from Australia which has been a democracy for 200 years.

He congratulated Senator Gichuhi on her election to Australia’s federal Parliament, saying it was no mean achievement.

The Kenya-born Senator commended Kenya, saying last year’s election process was a major milestone in terms of entrenching democracy.

She supported President Kenyatta’s position on the exchange programme, noting that she got into politics through internship.

“I joined politics through an internship programme and I would want young Kenyans to learn through the exchange programmes,” Senator Gichuhi said.

She said there was also room for Australians to learn from Kenya’s way of life renown for its hospitality, friendship and openness.

The Kenyan-born Australian Senator was accompanied by her husband Mr William Gichuhi and daughter Agnes.

]]>http://tupo.co.ke/28387-2/feed/028387Why Juja man killed his wife and three childrenhttp://tupo.co.ke/juja-man-killed-wife-three-children/
http://tupo.co.ke/juja-man-killed-wife-three-children/#respondTue, 16 Jan 2018 12:49:21 +0000http://tupo.co.ke/?p=28380The quarry broker who grisly murdered his wife and three children before dousing himself and burning their house in Malaba Estate in Juja Sub-County had financial and a love triangle challenge, a close confidant of the family has claimed. Tabitha Njeri said she had known the family for six years. She said they had stayed […]

]]>The quarry broker who grisly murdered his wife and three children before dousing himself and burning their house in Malaba Estate in Juja Sub-County had financial and a love triangle challenge, a close confidant of the family has claimed.

Tabitha Njeri said she had known the family for six years. She said they had stayed together in Kenyatta Road before relocating to Malaba. Speaking at the scene, Njeri known as Mama Shiku disclosed that last SundayRosemary Kanini (deceased) called her and asked her to visit her so that they could pray together.

She said she was overwhelmed by stress. Njeri said she did not make it since she was engaged in church service. She said she was shocked to learn the whole family was no more.

She the deceased had been calling her so that they could pray together since 2013 when they met at Kenyatta Road. “The deceased believed in prayers and that is why she used to call me whenever the deceased have challenges,” said Njeri.

Tabitha Njeri, a confidant of the above family addressing the press.

She said recently, the late Kanini disclosed to her that she suspected her husband Patrick Ndritu was having an affair with another woman. Njeri said another family friend said the late Kanini who hails from Embu had approached her requesting for Kshs. 300,000. The cash was unavailable.

She said until teh family lived happily and lavishly. A neighbor of the family in Malaba who pleaded for anonymity, said Kanini had told her that her husband was in dire need of Kshs. 1 million to facilitate a deal of Kshs. 4 million.

“She told me that her husband urgently required Kshs. 1 million so that he could supply bricks to a client and make a cool Kshs. 4 million but the cash was not forthcoming,” the neighbour said.

She said recently the husband has been looking a bit confused and distressed. She said a sleek car recently passed by and the deceased quipped that he will soon own such a vehicle.

She said out of the kshs. 1 million, a certain financial institution had pleaded to offer a loan of Kshs. 700,000 leaving a deficit of Kshs. 0.3 million which the deceased was unable to raise.

Early Monday at 1 am, Patrick Nderitu grisly murdered his wife Rosemary Kanini and their 3 children Joe Muraga (7), Jeff Mutua and Joy Wangui (twins) aged 4 years. Kanini had complained that a woman suspected to be having an affair with her husband had been making stressful calls to her.

According to an Officer who visited the scene soon after the tragedy, the killer cut his family members with sharp object and hit them with blunt object killing them instantly. One of the children had cloth stuffed in mouth to prevent it from raising alarm.

The remains of burnt household

The police source said it was believed that after killing the wife in their posh bedroom he went for each child at a time in their bedroom and killed them. The impeccable source further said that the killer doused himself and the three bed roomed house with petrol before setting it ablaze.

Members of the public were attracted at the scene by fierce flames of fire and smoke billowing from the house with a brick perimeter wall. Rescuers who managed to get into the compound after jumping over the wall could hardly save anything since the fierce inferno had consume everything.

The killer had the worst burns. Area Chief Muiruri Muchui was the first to arrive at the scene closely followed by Police officers led by Witeithie AP Camp Commandant James Dawai. Shocked and grief stricken members of the public jammed the home compound to have a glimpse of the scene which they described as a “site of death”.

Chief Muchui asked Kenyans engaged in family challenges to pray, and seek counselling and guidance instead of killing one another. He said the skyrocketing of such cases is worrying. Neighbours said the family had very expensive households including their over Kshs. 100,000 sofa sets which were reduced to ashes. Although the Estate has permanent houses it is in remote areas of Juja Sub-County where most residents are ferried in bikes because of the pathetic and sometimes impassable road network.